The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,205

cold dead body.”

“I’d never let that happen, Nana. Either one.”

“I know,” she sighed, sounding weary. “I told you I know my grandkids.” She paused. “Which is why I’m giving you my farm in my will.”

He turned to her in shock. “What?”

“I don’t trust that boy with it, and I sure don’t trust his momma.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Tell me you’ll take care of it. Keep it in the family.”

“I’m not a farmer, Nana.”

“You don’t have to be. Rent it out. Sell off part of it. Just promise me you’ll keep the house and the barn.”

A lump filled his throat. “I promise.”

She patted his hand, which was still on the steering wheel. “You’re a good boy, Garrett. I don’t say it much, but it’s true nonetheless.”

He grinned again. “You’re getting sentimental. Maybe you are going senile.”

She laughed, then sighed again. “Just old. Now on to the next part.”

He looked at her expectantly.

“What are you going to do about the girl?”

“Blair?”

“Of course, Blair. I don’t see you making goo-goo eyes at anyone else.”

He cringed. So it was that obvious? Hell, of course it was. He and Neil had brawled in the pool over her. The entire neighborhood knew. “There’s nothing to do. She thinks I’m only pursuing her to win some contest with Neil. She hates me, and I can’t say I blame her.”

“Bullshit. I didn’t set this all up for you to give up now.”

His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t put you in the damn wedding to mess with Debra and Neil.” She grinned and shrugged. “That part was a bonus.”

“Then why did you make me a groomsman?”

Her eyes flew open in exasperation. “And you just called me senile. I know who she is, Garrett Michael Lowry. I know she was the one who broke your heart back in law school.”

“What? How?”

“I read the damned invitation, you fool. It said Blair Myers Hansen. I knew she was an attorney. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

He shook his head. “You set this up for me to see her again?”

She whacked him in the head. “I did this for you to win her back, you fool.”

He stared at her in shock, rubbing his head. “I had no idea you could be so devious. It’s not usually your style.”

She grinned. “Sometimes you have to mix it up a little.” Then her eyes narrowed. “Now what are you going to do to fix this?”

He wished to God he knew.

Chapter Eighteen

Blair walked into the office the next morning knowing that she looked like shit. She wasn’t a crier, but she had shed more than a few tears the night before. She felt duped by both Neil and Garrett, but it was Neil’s behavior that had really shocked her. It seemed so out of character. She walked past Melissa’s desk without acknowledging Melissa, so she wasn’t surprised when her assistant followed her into the room and shut the door.

“What happened?”

She set her purse and laptop bag on her desk, and then sat in her chair. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Melissa perched in the chair in front of her desk. “O-kay.” She paused. “The caterer called to confirm the crab legs.”

“Shit.” Why had she not considered this part? There were a ton of details to deal with now. She took a deep breath and let it out. “I called off my wedding last night.”

“You did what?” she gasped. “What happened?”

Blair rubbed her forehead, trying ease the pounding in her head. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

“Do you want me to . . .” Melissa was flustered. She had never once seen Blair like that, not in the four years they’d known each other.

“No,” Blair sighed. “Let’s wait until after the deposition, and we’ll deal with it together.” The deposition. She’d considered stalling it, but she’d already made Brian Norfolk delay his trip home. She couldn’t very well cancel it and reschedule, particularly since she wasn’t sure how much more time she had with the firm.

She leaned back in her chair, tears pricking her eyes again. What would happen to all her clients?

“Do you want me to get you something?” Melissa asked, sounding worried. “Water? Coffee? Something for your headache?”

Blair was about to ask Melissa how she even knew about the headache, but Melissa always knew everything, anticipated everything. And now she was going to lose her.

“Blair?”

How did her life turn to shit in so short a time?

Blair sat up in her seat and took several deep breaths. A cold sweat broke